It is known to employ heat transfer materials in packs to be wrapped about body parts for cooling or heating purposes. The application of hot or cold packs about the neck and face has proved effective for alleviating sore muscles, headaches, fever and similar ailments; and, in general, for increasing the overall well-being and comfort of the user. Such packs may employ water or another reusable cooling or heating medium, or may utilize a compartmentalized formulation to produce an endothermic or exothermic reaction.
A typical conventional heat transfer device of the type to which the invention relates comprises a hollow tubular neckband of single layer flexible fabric material which is wrapped circumferentially about the back and sides of a user's neck, and secured in front by means of a Velcro.TM. hook-and-eye or similar releasible fastener. A heat transfer element, such as a flexible liquid-tight pouch containing reusable refrigerant, is inserted in the hollow of the neckband for heat exchange with the neck through the layer of neckband material.
Such tubular neckband wraps are clumsy in appearance, giving a dog collar look that is inappropriate for social wear. The releasible fastener is uncomfortable and awkward to adjust; and no mechanism is provided for varying the thickness of neckband material lying between the heat transfer element and the user's skin.